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Flames from the 8,750-acre Bison fire came up to the shores of Artesia Lake in Smith Valley on Sunday, continuing north and east past Sunrise Pass Road.

“We watched the fire last night from our house as it burned through Sunrise Pass and near to Artesia Lake, well into Smith Valley,” Smith Valley resident David Williams said in an e-mail on Monday morning. “The fire was certainly burning aggressively last night. Had there been any wind shift to the north we would have been seriously impacted.”

The date for containment has been set back until July 14 as the fire continues to burn northeast under afternoon winds.

Several old mining structures around the old Slater Mine have been destroyed by the fire, spokeswoman Elayne Briggs said this morning.

“Crews on the west side have been able to fortify the line that was built the last couple of days,” Briggs said.